Alliant Energy in partnership to raise efficiency of biofuel production

Co-patented technology reduces natural gas consumption by 50%
from Alliant Energy press release:

It’s full steam ahead for four industry-leading companies who have partnered to market, design, install and arrange financing for an innovative, biomass-fueled, steam production technology that significantly reduces the cost to produce ethanol.

The patented process involves the way steam is produced for the ethanol manufacturing process. Using AE&E-Von Roll’s fluidized bed reactor technology, residue and byproducts of making ethanol are used as fuel to generate steam used in the plant. This process reduces the amount of natural gas needed by the whole plant by more than 50 percent while reducing emissions at the plant. This means lower operating costs and a better environmental impact. As ethanol production has more than doubled in the past eight years, energy balance is a key issue. This technology will help producers reduce energy consumption while increasing the efficiencies of ethanol production.

Energy costs for a typical 50-million-gallon-per-year ethanol plant represent approximately 20 percent of the plants total annual operating costs. For every gallon of ethanol produced, 29 cents is spent on natural gas and four cents is spent on electricity.

The patented steam production process was first implemented in the United States in Winnebago, Minn., at Corn Plus Cooperative and is yielding impressive results. The AE&EVon Roll fluidized bed boiler system satisfies up to 100 percent of the plant’s need for process steam and has resulted in the reduction of total plant natural gas consumption of greater than 52 percent. Other ethanol plants are currently considering the technology.

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